This is an excerpt from Reviving Evangelism in the Next Generation (US).

How Gen Z Defines Evangelism

Before we get into how America Gen Z is embracing or even changing the act of evangelism, let’s first get an understanding of the practice on their terms.

Christian Gen Z are largely familiar with the word “evangelism,” with three-quarters (76%) noting they are either “very” (33%) or “somewhat” (43%) familiar. Thirteen percent say they are somewhat unfamiliar, while 11 percent say they are “not at all” familiar with the term. We see the opposite among non-Christian Gen Z. A plurality (37%) is not at all familiar and one in five (20%) is somewhat unfamiliar with evangelism. Just over two in five (31% “somewhat,” 12% “very”) have some knowledge of the term.

Aside from familiarity with the word, how do Christian Gen Z define acts of evangelism? Half believe “letting your actions speak rather than using words to explain your faith” (50%) and “inviting someone to attend a church service with you” (50%) are acts of evangelism. Other actions they largely view as evangelism include “telling your personal story about how you came to be a Christian” (48%), “telling someone about benefits / changes experienced when following Jesus” (48%) and “praying with someone” (47%).

Furthermore, around two in five Christian Gen Z believe invitations to attend a church event (45%) or a Christian youth event (41%) are a form of evangelism. Despite being the most digital-savvy generation, just under three in 10 Christian Gen Z (28%) say sharing digital / online content with someone is a form of evangelism.

Given the chance to describe what evangelism might look like, respondents speak of “being kind—following in Christ’s footsteps” or “helping [people] without expecting anything in return.”

When faithful Gen Z think about the preferences of recipients of evangelism, the theme is similar. Over four in five Christian Gen Z note “letting your actions speak rather than using words to explain your faith to someone” is most likely to create a positive response among non-believers (53% very positive, 30% somewhat positive). Around three-quarters (76%) say non-Christians would be open to hearing a personal story of how someone came to be a Christian.

Overall, nearly four in five Christian Gen Z believe non-Christians would be open to receiving invitations to attend a Christian youth event (79%) or a church service (78%). Among those Christians who engaged in spiritual conversations over the past year, roughly six in 10 actually followed through by extending an invitation of some kind (61% to church, 57% to a youth event, 57% to their home or a social event).

While Christian Gen Z assume various forms of evangelism are well-received by non-Christians, there is one in particular they note as potentially harmful to faith conversations. They name “asking a person to give a reason for their lifestyle choices and beliefs” (20% somewhat negative, 7% very negative) as the approach most likely to close doors to spiritual discussions.

Practicing Christians—that is, Christians who say their faith is important to them and attend church at least monthly—are aligned with all Christian teens in assuming an actions-first approach or a church invitation would be very well-received by non-Christians (67% each). However, only 14 percent of practicing Christian teens consider “asking a person to give a reason for their lifestyle” to elicit a negative reaction. This reveals some diverging opinions correlated with one’s practice of and commitment to faith.

Overall, Christian Gen Z see various opportunities for faith-sharing in their daily lives, putting nearly equal emphasis on living out their faith daily, sharing their faith story with others and inviting people to attend Christian gatherings (including church or other events) with them.

How Gen Z Perceives Evangelism

Make no mistake, Christian Gen Z see great value in coming to faith in Christ. Overall, almost nine in 10 (47% “strongly,” 40% “somewhat”) agree “sharing my faith with others is an important part of following Jesus,” and three-quarters (74%) agree “the best thing that could ever happen to someone is for them to come to know Jesus” (42% “strongly,” 32% “somewhat”).

Even so, conflicted feelings persist: Nearly two in five Christian Gen Z (38%) say “it is wrong to share one’s personal belief with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith (15% strongly agree, 23% somewhat agree). Unsurprisingly, non-Christian Gen Z are more likely to say that sharing one’s faith in the hopes a non-believer would one day share the same faith is wrong (17% strongly agree, 27% somewhat agree).

Data from past Barna research on Gen Z show that, “for many teens, truth seems relative at best and, at worst, altogether unknowable.”1 In light of this, teens prefer not to rock the boat—if they’re uncertain about ultimate truth, then they are generally opposed to challenging other people’s beliefs.

This might explain why, for Christian Gen Z, knowing someone well before sharing about faith is important; 36 percent (vs. 21% of non-Christian Gen Z) strongly agree “having a conversation about your faith perspectives or beliefs is most effective when you have already established a significant relationship with that person.” Overall, around half of both Christian (50%) and non-Christian (54%) Gen Z somewhat agree.

"No, After You:" Gen Z’s Deferential Preferences 

So, how do Gen Z, Christian and non-Christian alike, expect to enter the neutral conversational space their generation associates with evangelism?

When it comes to starting conversations on faith, Christian teens are somewhat ready to open the discussion, while their non-Christian peers tend to hang back. A notable portion of Gen Z overall—nearly two in five Christians (36%) and non-Christians (39%)—prefers someone else initiate conversations about faith with them.

Overall, just over one in three Gen Z (35%) says they have no preference as to who starts the conversation—however, the data shift somewhat when comparing responses from Christians and non-Christians. Christian teens are far less likely to say they have no preference (31% vs. 43% non-Christian teens) and are more willing to initiate themselves (33% vs. 19%).

Mutuality is the name of the game in these discussions. Gen Z, both Christian and non-Christian, are more open to learning about the other person’s beliefs (51% Christian, 58% non-Christian) instead of teaching the other person about their own beliefs (31%, 12%). Teens also feel the best outcome would be for both individuals to better understand the other person’s point of view (59%, 63%); perhaps surprisingly, this preference is true among practicing Christian teens as well.

In the U.S., Gen Z’s prioritization of mutuality is quite a notable departure from the opinions of older generations. In The Connected GenerationConnected Generation, Barna’s 2019 international study of 18–35-year-olds (an intersection of the Gen Z and Millennial generations), analysts found that 59 percent of Christian young adults in the U.S. agreed that “it is okay to respectfully persuade someone to believe what you do."

Along the way, Christian Gen Z hope to represent their views well—over half of teens (57%) believe it’s important to clearly communicate their personal beliefs during a conversation about faith—but this is not often an effort to see the other person join their faith community (22% say this is the best outcome).

Given the option to choose between whether an individual “hears the truth” or “feels heard by me,” the bulk of non-Christian Gen Z has no preference (40%). The majority of Christian teens—and more notably practicing Christian teens—is more likely to say people need to “hear the truth” (47% Christians, 64% practicing Christians vs. 27% non-Christian), though three in 10 Christians and non-Christians alike (30%, 33%) say it’s most important for an individual to feel heard.

When all is said and done, Christian Gen Z don’t actually want to say that much. Instead of hoping to find the right words, they want their actions to speak, in alignment with Gen Z’s more hands-on definition of evangelism. Over half (58%) agree “it’s most important that my actions consistently represent my faith,” while only 25 percent say “it’s most important that I know the right thing to say.” Agreement with letting actions speak is lower among non- Christians (35%), with a slightly larger percentage (39%) noting they have no preference on words or actions when it comes to sharing about their faith.

While Christian Gen Z’s preferences for faith conversations are more assertive than those of their non-Christian peers, this data reinforce the largely neutral stance all Gen Z take on evangelism.

How Gen Z Participates in Evangelism

Just over one in three Christian Gen Z (35%) says they’ve had one or two conversations about their faith identity with a non-Christian within the past year. Almost a quarter (23%) agrees this has happened three to five times, and 21 percent report even higher frequency. One in five (22%), however, says they haven’t had any conversations with non-Christians in the past year.

These percentages hold up when you ask Christian Gen Z’s presumed conversation partners: Similar numbers emerge among non-Christian Gen Z, with 41 percent affirming they’ve had conversations about their faith identity with a close friend or family member once or twice within the past year. One in four (26%) admits they haven’t had any faith conversations in the last 12 months.

While the frequency of faith conversations among Gen Z teens might feel low, when comparing the data with Barna’s past research, it’s encouraging that eight in 10 Christian teens are having conversations about their faith identity with *any* level of frequency, especially considering that Barna data has shown teens and young adults are not as eager as older generations to engage in traditional acts of evangelism. However, when teens do have these faith conversations, they want to go about it with a sense of ease.

Entry Points & Outcomes of Faith Conversations

When asked how conversations about faith identity arise with those who do not share their same beliefs, a plurality of all Gen Z (47%) says it usually happens naturally. There is also a portion of each group that agrees “I don’t tell others about my faith”—a notable one in 10 Christian Gen Z (10%) and a quarter of non-Christian Gen Z (26%).

What happens after the initial faith conversation? Three in five Christian Gen Z who have had at least one spiritual conversation in the past year (60%) say they followed up to ask more questions about the other’s faith journey. The same percentage says the non-Christian followed up with them to ask more questions about faith or became more interested in Christianity (60% each).

Again, while it might seem like the frequency of spiritual conversations among Gen Z is lacking, the initial faith conversations teens are engaging in have a fair chance of prompting further exploration of Christianity.